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Zemen Bank New head quarter building Design Competition

Reported by Tewedaj Eshetu & Kalkidan Wondaferew

Zemen Bank is to join the financial hub located within a few kilometers radius of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). On the call for design competition a total of 61 people had shown interest, of which only 18 participated in the first stage and submitted the technical and conceptual drawings. Out of these, eight were selected by a jury of seven members, including five voting architects and two non-voting members, to pass onto the second stage. The second phase of the project involved submitting three dimensional (3D) models of the designs.

1st prize 2d

The competition was framed in 4 months time and 18 contestants participated on the last roundJDAW Consulting architects & engineers topped the list and took 120,000 ETB home .the second ranking office, Roha consulting was awarded 80,000 ETB and the third ranking ( Dawit and his partner) received 50,000 ETB. All of the designers tried to incorporate their own visions of modernity for the headquarters, an ideal the bank tries to reflect, which was one of the requirements in the terms of reference of the design.

2nd prize - 3d

Most of financial institutions are building or have already established their head quarters in the heart of the city around NBE, while it is not an obligation for banks or insurance companies to locate by the National Bank, many have found it advantageous to do so. The bank, which follows a single branch model, is in the process of securing the plot from the Addis Abeba city administration. The plot is located in what is known as the commercial business district next to where the future headquarters of Nib International Bank is to be erected.

Prior to floating the open bid for the competition in August, Zemen had approached 10 companies to submit a technical and financial design for its headquarters.“This was done because our negotiations for the plot of land we were trying to acquire,” Tewodros Kebede, senior civil engineer at the company, told Fortune. “The city administration required that we show how we were going to use the plot.”

However, this was later changed. A total of 61 people had shown interest for the open call, of which only 18 participated in the first stage and submitted the technical and conceptual drawings. Out of these, eight were selected by a jury of seven members, including five voting architects and two non-voting members, to pass onto the second stage. The second phase of the project involved submitting three dimensional (3D) models of the designs.

2nd prize - section

The winner of the design competition, which had two stages, was announced on Thrusday, December 8, 2011, at the current headquarters of the bank on Marshal Tito Street in Kazanchis area.The winning design by JDAW consulting is a 31-storey building, in accordance to the terms of reference. The design incorporates high-tech materials and a curtain wall in order to reflect Zemen’s modern banking system, according to Daniel Assefa, general manager of JDAW, who estimates that the construction will cost around 450 million Br.

The second ranking design by Roha, is a 21 storey high building. The interesting part of this design is most of the different programs are accessed by separate entrance points.Dawit Getachew and his partner, the architects of the third ranking project, who does not want to disclose his name as he has another job, designed their submission in their spare time. “We do not have a company, and we covered the cost of making the model on our own,” Dawit’s partner, who claims to have spent 10,000 Br jointly for the 3D model, told Fortune.

The winners, picked by the jury, were awarded 120,000 Br, 80,000 Br, and 50,000 Br from first to third place, respectively. The winnings were handed out by Berhane Ghebray (PhD), board chairman, and Helawe Tadesse, acting vice president, of the bank.

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